Chaeles meistee



., (No Model.)

' C. MEISTER.

` TREMOLO PURV GORNBTS. No.' 377,493. Patented Feb. 7, 1888.

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M s Y l I l l l I l I l l nn nml mnu umlmjmguunn NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

oHARLEs MEISTER, oF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASsIGNoR To FREDERICK J. ANsPAoI-I, oF SAME PLACE.

TREMOLO FOR ooRNETs.

SPECIIlEICtl-XLION forming part of Letters Patent No. 377,493, dated February 7, 1888.

Serial No. 193,546. (No model.)

' of Pennsylvania, have invented au Improvement in'Mouth-Pieces for Cornets, of which the following' is a Specification.

My invention has reference to musical instruments, particularly relating to cornets; and it consists in certain improvements, fully set forth in the following specification, and shown in the accompanying drawings, which form part thereof.

Vhen what is known as double or triple tonguing is produced,a most wonderful and pleasing effect is given to solo-playing. Vith amateurs this effect is one which offers great difficulties and is attainable only by constant and most wearying practice, in manyinstances covering a period of several years.

The object of this invention is to produce this effect by a mechanical attachment readily applied to al1 cornets or equivalent instruments. The use of this attachment will enable a performer to produce double and triple tonguing notes and also a tremolo, and they said 'edects may be produced instantaneously \by a simple movement of one of the fingers, preferably of the left hand. In addition to the above effects it is well known that to play the notes in the high registers or above the staff the mouth must be contracted and rigidly held with a smaller opening. This change of the mouth and the necessarily increased airpressure is a source of more or less discomfort to theplayer wherelong and constant and highregister playing is required; and, further, the object of my improvement isto overcome this difficulty by a mechanical attachment which shall be capable of changing the larger orifice in the mouth-piece to one of smaller diameter, thus accomplishing in a mechanical way what has heretofore been necessarily produced by the lips or changing of the mouth-piece.

The essential featureofmyinvention consists in providing the mouth-piece with a valve attachment capable of being reeiprocated by the action of the ngers to intermittently cut olf the passage of air, and thus in eect produce pulsations. The rapidity of these pulsations will produce a varied eifect, as desired. A single reciprocation of the valve in one direction may be caused to open in succession two or more ports or passages, and,if desired,these passages may be all of one diameter or of different diameters.

In the drawings, Figure lis a side elevation of, a cornet embodying my improvements, showing the mouth-piece in section; and Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of a modified arrangement of mouth-piece, showing the orifice in the valve, two or more in number and of different diameters.

A is the mouth-piece,and B is the extensiontube, which may be of any length or shape as is customary in cornets or instruments of this class. The bulb D of the mouth-piece is provided with a vertical valve-passage, E, which crosses the air-passage d.

F is the valve, and works in the passage E, and is preferably limited in its upward and downward movement by shouldersf.

G are pads or mufliers to prevent a sound during the striking of the valve at the limits of its movements. This valve is provided with one or more openings or orifices, H, arranged parallel to the air-passages d, whereby as the valve is reciprocated the current of air may be intermittently cut oft' and continued, forming pulsations.

The valve F may be reciprocated directly by pressing the finger upon itsubstantially in the manner of the main piston-valves C, or it may be reciprocated by a connection passing to the forward part of the instrument, where the irst or second finger ofthe left hand may operate it. This last arrangement is shown in the drawings. The mouth-pieceis provided with a standard, K, to which is pivoted the lever J, one end of which is connected to the valve F at I.

T is a spring operating on the said lever to cause the valve to be raised, as shown in Fig. l. This lever J is oscillated by the rod L be ing reciprocated through its support or bearing N,which is adjustably clamped at O to the extension-section B of the cornet.

M Ml'are two stops secured to the rod L and arranged on each side of the support to limit the reciprocation of the said rod. The pads m prevent the said stops from striking directly against the support, and thereby muffie the sound.

B is a finger-piece connected by a shank, i', with the adjustable tubular section s, fitted to the end of the rod L, and secured thereon by a set-screw, S. The length of this rod and finger-piece may be varied to suit different sizes of cornets and different lengths of eXtension-sections by simply loosening the set-screw S, adjusting the thumb-piece longitudinally upon the rod L, and fastening it in such new position.

l? is a guide-rod secured to one of the stops ofthe piece M, and works through a guide, p, on the support N; but any other form of guide device may be used. As shown, a pressure upon the finger-piece R would cause each of the openings ororifices H in the valve to pass successively before the opening d, thereby with each reciprocation of the valve making a series of pulsations or intermittent puffs of air equivalent in its effect to what is produced in double and triple tonguing. By a very rapid action of the valve between two passages H a tremolo effect may be produced.

Referring to Fig. 2, it will be observed that the valve is shown as provided with two orifices, the upper of which is of smaller diameter than the lower one. If the upper hole, ZL, be brought in line with the air-passage cl, the same action of the mouth which, with the large opening H, produces the lower tones will now produce the high notes. If this valve be' reciprocated rapidly, as previously described, the [peculiar tonguing effect will be produced, as hereinbefore specified.

I do not limit myself to any particular form or shape of valve or the means for accomplishing the reciprocations, as they may be changed or modified to suit the ideas of' the manufacturer and the instrument to which it is to be applied. Neither do I. limit myself to the number of orifices in the valve or the sizes of same.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A mouth-piece for a cornet or equivalent wind-instrument, provided with a valve to interrupt the current of air and produce pulsations, in combination with a key to reciprocate said valve, whereby the effects of double and ltriple tonguing and tremolo may be mechanically obtained, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. A mouth-piece for a cornet or equivalent wind-instrument, provided with a valve having a series of orifices or apertures to interrupt the current of air and produce pulsations, in combination with a key to reciprocate said valve, wherebythe effects of double and triple tonguing and tremolo may be mechanically obtained, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. A mouth-piece for a cornet or equivalent wind-instrument, provided with a valve having two or more orifices or apertures of different sizes or areas to interrupt the current of air and produce pulsations, in combination with a key to reciprocate said valve, whereby the effect of double and triple tonguing and tremolo may be mechanically obtained, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. A mouth-piece for a cornet or equivalent wind-instrument, provided with avalve to interrupt the current of air and produce pulsations, whereby the effects of double and `triple tonguing and tremolo may be mechanically obtained, in combination with a finger piece or key to reciprocate said valve, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. A mouth-piece for a cornet or equivalen-t wind-instrument, provided with a valve to interru pt th-e current of air and produce pulsations, whereby the effects of double and triple tonguing and tremolo may be mechanically obtained, in combination with the body portion of the cornet and a finger piece or key to reciprocate said valve, having an extension whereby it is brought to the forward part of the cornet, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. A mouth-piece for a cornet or equivalent wind-instrument, provided with a valve to interrupt the current of air and produce pulsations, whereby the effects of' double and triple ton guing and tremolo may be mechanically obtained, in combination with the body portion of the cornet and a nger piece or key to reciprocate said valve,havin an adjustable extension whereby it is brought to the forward part of the cornet, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

7. A cornet having the usual tone-valves and provided with an auxiliary wind-interrupter in the mouth-piece to admit the air to the valves in pulsations, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

8. A cornet having its mouth-piece provided with a loose valve mechanism for changing the area of the wind-passage and a key to rapidly reciprocate said valve, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

9. The cornet-body, in combination with the extensionscction B, the mouth-piece A, having areciprocating valve, a support, K, removably clamped to the cornet, and a reciprocating rod working in said guide to operate the valve and provided on its end with a finger-piece, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

10. The cornet-body, in combination with the extension-section B, the mouth-piece A, having a reciprocating valve, a support, K, removably clamped to the cornet,a reciprocating rod working in said guide to operate the valve and provided on its end with a fingerpiece, and stops upon said rod to limit its movement in either direction, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

11. The cornet-body, in combination with the extension-section B, the mouth-piece A,

said valve in one direction, and a spring to [o having a reciprocating valve, a support, K, move said valve in the other direction, subreniovably clamped to the cornet, anda reciprostantially as and for the purpose specified.

eating rod adjustable as to itslength and work- In testimony of which invention I hereunto ing in said guide to operate the valve and prol set my hand. vided 0n its end with a finger-piece, substan- I CHARLES MEISTER.

tially as and for the purpose specified.

12. The combination of the cornet mouthpiece A, having the valve F, lever T, to gnove \Vituess es:

J. H. BUCHANAN, WM. H. WARNE. 

